Colorado, 2000

Heavy Snow in Colorado, March 15 to 16, 2000

March 15 to 16, 2000 · NWS BOU · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Heavy upslope snowfall occurred in and near the Front Range Foothills and along the Palmer Divide south of Denver. Snowfall totals from the storm included: 23 inches near Allenspark, 21 inches at Estes Park, 17 inches at Idaho Springs, 16 inches at Aspen Springs, 12 inches at Boulder, 13 miles south of Deckers, Klondike and Lake George, 11 inches at Bailey, Chief Hosa, Coal Creek Canyon,…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.

Heavy upslope snowfall occurred in and near the Front Range Foothills and along the Palmer Divide south of Denver. Snowfall totals from the storm included: 23 inches near Allenspark, 21 inches at Estes Park, 17 inches at Idaho Springs, 16 inches at Aspen Springs, 12 inches at Boulder, 13 miles south of Deckers, Klondike and Lake George, 11 inches at Bailey, Chief Hosa, Coal Creek Canyon, Eldorado Springs, Evergreen and 11 miles southwest of Morrison, 10 inches, 4 miles east of Fort Collins, Intercanyon, 2 miles west of Larkspur, Ken Caryl Ranch, 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland and Shawnee, 9 inches, 5 miles southwest of Sedalia and Wheat Ridge, 8 inches at Arvada and 3 miles northwest of Guffey. Elsewhere, snow amounts ranged from 4 to 7 inches.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Summit County/Mosquito Range/Indian Peaks

When
March 15, 6:00 AM MST to March 16, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Summit County/Mosquito Range/Indian Peaks forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.726, -105.675 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie and Cache la Poudre River Basins

When
March 15, 6:00 AM MST to March 16, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie and Cache la Poudre River Basins forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.380, -105.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin

When
March 15, 6:00 AM MST to March 16, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.516, -105.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, South Park

When
March 15, 6:00 AM MST to March 16, 12:00 AM MST
Where
South Park forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.119, -105.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties

When
March 15, 6:00 AM MST to March 16, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.611, -104.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Denver Metropolitan Area

When
March 15, 6:00 AM MST to March 16, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Denver Metropolitan Area forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.714, -104.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Douglas and Western Elbert Counties/Castle Rock and Vicinity

When
March 15, 6:00 AM MST to March 16, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Douglas and Western Elbert Counties/Castle Rock and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.422, -104.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 2000

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5132706, 5132707, 5132708, 5132709, 5132710, 5132711, 5132712.